Vontae Davis, Jason Allen Provide Spark for Dolphins' Secondary

DAVIE, Fla. -- His teammates have given Miami Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis the nickname, "CP," which stands for "Crowd Pleaser" because of his animated celebrations after big plays, and two games into his second season Davis has given the crowds plenty to cheer about.

Jason Allen, who is much more low key than his younger secondary mate, is the one who revealed Davis' nickname today after he was asked about the move Davis showcased following his big hit on Minnesota Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe in yesterday's 14-10 Dolphins victory at the Metrodome. The one thing Allen and Davis do have in common is the fact that both were first-round draft picks by this franchise -- Allen in 2006 when Nick Saban was coaching and Davis last year.

Coming into the season, Allen was pretty much an afterthought to the fans and the media, having been so many times designated a bust because he couldn't crack the starting lineup. But what was being overlooked was that he's had three different head coaches and three different defensive coordinators and has been shifted from cornerback to safety, back to cornerback and and even tried at nickel back before Tony Sparano promised him this offseason that they were sticking with him at right cornerback.

As a result of this commitment from the team, Allen put in extra work to master the position and the schemes of new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. He began to flourish in training camp and the preseason ad eventually beat out Davis' best friend, Sean Smith, for the starting job six days before the season opener at Buffalo. Smith was a second-round pick last year and started all 16 games for the Dolphins, and after not playing at all against the Bills he came in on the dime package at Minnesota and delivered.

But it was Allen who had his breakout game -- five years later than expected. He intercepted future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre twice and had a third called back because of offsetting penalties, and he also finished second on the team behind strong safety Yeremiah Bell in tackles with 11 (seven solo), with three pass breakups. The week before at Buffalo he nearly had a pick six and blanketed Dolphins killer Lee Evans in coverage.

Davis was credited with six solo tackles and came up to make the big hit on Vikings running back Adrian Peterson at the goal line on fourth-and-goal while linebacker Karlos Dansby was wrapping him up around the ankles to preserve the win for Miami. He also had an acrobatic interception near his own end zone off a pass intended for Percy Harvin, where he kept the ball alive by tipping it in the air and then had it land in his chest as he fell to the ground.

"I had my eye on it the whole time, so I followed it all the way into my chest," said Davis, who said last week how it was a dream of his to intercept a Favre pass. "It came through. It's a blessing you know? Brett Favre's a great player. He's probably going into the Hall of Fame someday, so to look back and know that I was able pick off a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback is a blessing. I have trust in myself and any cornerback should believe in himself so I've got a belief in my own ability. I'm only in my second year so I'm still a puppy."

In my story today on Dolphins.com, I take a deeper look into what makes Davis, Allen and the rest of this Miami secondary tick.